Ex-cdc Official Denies Grant, Job Connection

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE - MIDWEST

February 18, 2000

CHICAGO - The former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV vaccine unit approved an $8 million grant for research on a vaccine whose manufacturer hired him months later, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday. He denied any wrongdoing. CDC and VaxGen Inc. officials confirmed Wednesday that Dr. William Heyward played a key role in earmarking $8 million for AIDSVAX trials in October, the Tribune reported. He became VaxGen's vice president for international clinical studies in January. AIDSVAX, the only HIV vaccine undergoing advanced testing, is designed to control HIV infection by generating a type of protein that may be able to prevent the virus from attaching to immune cells. VaxGen and CDC officials said Heyward had cleared his role in the grant allocation with CDC attorneys.